A Fox News poll released late Wednesday found that the Republican Party of Floridas P5 event in Orlando last week dramatically impacted the race for the GOP presidential nomination as Texas Gov. Rick Perry faded after a poor debate performance and Herman Cain, who won the P5 straw poll, moved up.
Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts led the pack with 23 percent while Perry, who led in the Fox News poll at the end of August with 29 percent, placed second with 19 percent. Cain, a businessman and a favorite of the tea party movement, took third with 17 percent -- an 11-point gain from the late August poll. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich has also experienced dramatic growth since late August, moving from 3 percent then to 11 percent in the most recent poll.
The rest of the field trailed in single digits. U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas garnered 6 percent. Former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah stood in sixth with 4 percent. U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania were knotted together at 3 percent.
Three candidates -- former Gov. Gary Johnson of New Mexico, activist Fred Karger and former Gov. Buddy Roemer of Louisiana -- garnered less than 1 percent.
While 50 percent of those surveyed thought President Barack Obama would lose in 2012 as opposed to 40 percent who thought he would win a second term, the Democratic incumbent led both Romney and Perry in general election match-ups. Obama edged Romney 45 percent to 42 percent. The president did better against Perry, beating him 47 percent to 39 percent.
In the poll, were Obama to face a primary rematch from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the president would beat her 66 percent to 27 percent. Clinton has said repeatedly that she has no interest in entering the 2012 presidential contest.
The poll of 924 registered voters was taken from Sept. 25-27 and had a margin of error of +/- 3 percent. The sample of 363 Republican primary voters had a margin of error of +/- 5 percent. The sample of 356 Democratic primary voters also had a margin of error of +/- 5 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
